Today, Carin Pratt, bookseller extraordinaire at the fabulous Norwich Bookstore, has graciously agreed to be our guest blogger. We were thrilled when she said yes because neither of us can ever resist even one of her recommendations. Her “you must read this book” statements always point us to books that challenge our thinking and are graced with incredible writing. We are excited Book Jam readers will benefit from her latest recommendations with today’s special post. And, we apologize in advance for the fact that the stack of books you purchase from your favorite bookstore or check out from your library will be a bit bigger than usual as a result of Carin’s recommendations. (We hope you have been keeping that New Year’s resolution to lift more weights.)

So, thank you Carin! Happy end of the USA’s Presidents’ Day Weekend! Happy reading!

I have taken the challenge of Liza at the Norwich Bookstore to read outside my comfort zone this year. As my comfort zone consists of literary fiction, literary fiction, and literary mysteries, with a smattering of not-so-literary mysteries tossed in, and since I work in a bookstore and all kinds of books are pretty handy, this shouldn’t be too hard. To that end, here is what I am reading this month, and here’s to breaking out of long-held habits.

When was the last time you read an art book? I thought so. I am no exception. Then The Secret Lives of Color(Kassia St. Clair) walked into my life. St. Clair tells the stories of seventy five colors, how they came about, what they are made of, what they are associated with, and how, in some cases, they changed history. A fascinating, even thrilling book. You will never look at anything yellow again in the same way. And now, when someone walks into the store looking for a “red” book, I can be even more obnoxious than usual and ask “Would that be rosso corsa, hematite, vermilion or cochineal?” ~ Carin Pratt

As I lived in Washington DC for 30 years, I pretty much have sworn off DC tell-alls and books about politics. Been there, done that. But I did pick up Fire and Fury (Michael Wolff). As a former journalist, I did have some issues with the sourcing of his book about Trump and question how Wolff knew exactly what some people were thinking and feeling, but I found the book riveting and read it practically straight through. A warning, though: if you are looking for a book about Trump that will make you feel better about him and his administration, this ain’t it. ~ Carin Pratt

As a voyeur, I am more of a reader of memoirs than biographies. But this year could change things, what with my husband regaling me day after day with Grant‘s trials and exploits. (“Wait, wait, I can’t walk the dog. Grant‘s about to conquer Vicksburg.”) Then a patron came into the store and told me I had to read Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill. (Sonia Purnell). Why, I asked. Because, she said, did you know that Winston Churchill liked to turn somersaults in his bathtub? Well, no. But that was certainly enough to get me to read the book. And turns out she was a remarkable and complex woman, who has been totally overshadowed by her somersaulting (admittedly he had other talents) husband. ~ Carin Pratt

Good essays make you think and that can be hard work. I can be a lazy reader. But the essays of Peter Orner in Am I Alone Here? Notes on Living to Read and Reading toLive, have not only altered how I look at essays — I love to think about things, especially books and writing, and now I pledge to read one book of essays a month. There are so many good and provocative essayists out there — just check out our section at the store. Or ask me. (And yes, I consider the MOTH collections essays.) ~ Carin Pratt

As kind of a meat-and-potatoes reader, not one for the weirder stuff, I avoid science fiction and dystopic literature, by and large. But I’ll make exceptions for exceptional writing (i.e. Station Eleven). There has been a lot of buzz around Carmen Maria Machado’s stories Her Body and Other Parties(National Book Award Finalist, a number of prizes…) and these eight impossible-to-characterize stories deserve every bit of it. Mythic, fantastic, horrifying, provocative and utterly original, they are wonderfully written and totally unforgettable. Try as you might. ~ Carin Pratt

And now an image (see above) and tribute from Carin’s previous life in DC. (Trust us, your day will be a bit brighter if you click on this link to her former boss’s tribute to Carin. And although we can picture Carin laughing and/or rolling her eyes when she reads this — we admit we teared up a bit when Mr. Schieffer did.) Thank you Carin for guest blogging, for your recommendations, and for just being you. We are grateful you now live in a small Vermont town next to our small Vermont town so that our lives can intersect a bit. DC’s loss is our gain.

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The Book Jam is…

The view from a small town in Vermont onto the wide world of books where we put the right book in the right hands at the right time.

Through literature and our unique live events — 1) Pages in the Pub, a program bringing disparate communities together around books and 2) BOOK BUZZ, our literacy program for K-12 schools — the Book Jam creates communities. We provide virtual and physical spaces where people can safely discuss difficult issues. Using books, our programs help educate people about important events in their lives and in the lives of others. We build empathy, an essential aspect of healthy communities through discussions about great literature. We increase literacy. And, we draw attention to the wonderful roles of libraries and independent bookstores throughout the world.

WHO WE ARE…

The Book Jam Lisas are two women passionate about reading and sharing our literary discoveries. While we live in the woods, we can spot a great book, especially with the steady stream of excellent suggestions from the indie booksellers up here in Vermont.

WHAT THIS BLOG DOES FOR YOU…

If you’ve got reader’s block – also known as being in a “book jam” – this blog will help. Through posts organized around specific themes and our live events, we open the world of books to you by highlighting books you didn’t even know you needed. If you have issues you need help exploring, this blog will help. If you need to know there are others in the world who feel as you do, this blog will help. We honestly rest easier knowing that you have the right book on your bedside table each night providing whatever it is you need.

Everything we recommend has been personally read and reviewed by one of us – all the way up here in the Green Mountain State.